


The Thread Between Them

by espark



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Meant To Be, Possibly Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 04:59:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11982669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/espark/pseuds/espark
Summary: Did anyone else expect more to happen between Aloy and Teb? I bet he did.





	The Thread Between Them

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aescela](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aescela/gifts).



Teb had just drifted off to sleep when he heard a scratch at his door. 

He sat up and whispered into the darkness, “Is someone there?” 

“It’s me, Aloy.” A young woman’s voice answered.

It was the night before the Proving. He had gone to bed pleased with the day’s business - every boot, satchel and cloak was sold, with only a few tunics and breeches remaining in his stock. The surge in traffic coming into Mother’s Heart for the festivities had been quite rewarding.

He had been even more pleased to see Aloy. For so long he had wanted to talk to her, to get to know her, to finally kindle that spark that had been struck between them years ago. The time had finally arrived. He couldn’t explain why, but ever since the day she had saved him from a clutch of watchers, Teb felt like there was a thread between them, tying them together. He had taken a risk, saving his best work for her, but her smile alone had been worth it. 

“Just a minute,” he called out. His heart pounded in his chest, as fast as a fleeing rabbit.

Teb fumbled for the sparker and a candle then he pushed open the door into the chilly night. Some torches were still glowing up on the hill and he could hear the laughter of some late night revelers earning their hangovers. 

Aloy was crouched down low on his threshold, her bow strapped to her back. He felt a swell of pride seeing her wearing the outfit he’d sown for her, but her guarded behavior also made him worried.

He knelt down beside her and whispered, “Is everything alright?” 

“Can I stay with you tonight? ” she asked softly. “I have a feeling that if I pass the night in the lodge, someone may stick a spear through me.”

He hesitated. She couldn’t know what she was asking. Raised as an outcast, she hadn’t learn the laws of the tribe. To her mind, she was probably just searching for safe shelter, but to him, or anyone else brought up in Nora society, her request meant much more. It only took a moment, but he decided that whether she asked him to share his roof out of ignorance or not, he would accept the consequences. All-Mother forgive him.

“Of course.” He answered and moved aside to let her come in.

As she passed, she stood up and he caught her scent - tangy sweat, sharp ridge-wood and bittersweet hintergold. Although she was the same height as him, he had no doubt she was twice as strong and swift. She moved with a grace and confidence that took his breath away.

“Thanks,” she said, hanging her gear on a peg. “I owe you.”

“Not at all. I would have died years ago if not for you.” He said, “You are welcome to anything of mine … anything at all.” 

Goddess, he felt like a fool. He wished he could unravel the pattern of his words the moment they were out of his mouth. 

She slipped off her outer tunic, necklaces and head ornaments. His eyes traced the graceful curve of her bare arms, her exposed neck, her pale skin that disappeared under her worn undertunic. He couldn’t help but notice the discrete shape of her small breasts. How many times had he imagined this scenario? Now his fantasy was coming to life, but he honored her too much to risk offense. He swallowed, suddenly ashamed of his gaze, and dragged his eyes back up to her face.

“You take the bed.” He offered, “You need a good night’s rest for the Proving. I can sleep on the floor with some furs.”

She just looked at him for a minute, nodded, and lay down on his bed.

As Teb curled up on the floor behind some baskets of scraps, he was tempted to reach down, to pretend it was her hands eager to stroke him. Instead, he stayed still and vowed that he would talk to her in the morning. He would explain what it meant when a Nora woman asked to sleep under a man’s roof. Then, if she decided that it had all been a misunderstanding, at the very least, he’d have given her a good night’s rest before the Proving. He couldn't help but feel her arrival was a good omen, a sign from the Goddess.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning was sharp and clear. Aloy rose with the sun and her movements woke him. Outside it was quiet. Most folks were still passed out from last night’s revelry and he was grateful for a few more minutes alone with her.

At the communal fire, they broke their fast in silence. In the fresh light of day, the thread between them seemed more tenuous. He was reluctant to pierce the smooth, comfortable stillness between them and he lost his nerve. He told himself that it was best not to bother her, not now, right before the competition. When Teb heard the horn summoning the Proving candidates, he knew she had to go. 

She slung her bow across her back and said, “Thanks Teb, and not just for the armor and place to lay low. I think you’re the only one in the tribe who treats me like I’m a regular person. It’s refreshing.” 

How wrong she was. In his eyes, she was no ordinary person. She was like the very best fabrics - supple, strong, and resilient. 

He kept his tone pleasant, “I’m no Matriarch, but sometimes I think Nora are too quick to dish out shame. Goddess knows we are all just regular people inside.”

She rewarded him with a rare smile and slight nod. He felt something settle in his chest, like a hawk lunging down and grasping a rabbit. Yes, she had a hold on him, good and tight.

As she fell in step with the other candidates, Teb smiled and wished her well, “All-Mother give you strength.“ He decided he would speak his heart to her, later, after the Proving.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

The next time Teb saw Aloy, relief enfolded him as he watched her descend from the sacred mountain. He had heard she had nearly died during the attack, but she looked as hale and healthy as ever. Pride mixed with joy when he saw she still wore the outfit he’d made her, and there wasn’t a tear or scratch on it. 

If there had been anyone else in the tribe who had thought of her as ordinary before, all that had changed with the Massacre. While Aloy had become a hero to many of the Nora, she remained a motherless curse to the rest. Of course Teb’s opinion of her had only strengthened.

They talked at the gates of Mother’s Heart and she seemed glad to see him. They traded words and he felt the tie between them grow tighter. Then a clutch of machines, led by a terrible scorpion-like demon, broke through the gates. He scrambled for cover and barely avoided being hit by a flying boulder. He notched his bow and managed to get off a couple of shots, but they flew wide of the mark. From the corner of his eye, Teb watched Aloy pivot and roll effortlessly. She would shoot a flaming arrow straight into the beast’s glowing eye, then sprint and slide away to frame another shot. She was amazing. Finally, the demon machine erupted in a fiery explosion and the battle was over.

Even then, Aloy didn’t bask in her triumph. She was eager to test what she’d learned from the wreckage of the demon. Teb tried to tell her his feelings, that he thought she was wonderful. 

“I always knew you were different, Aloy,” he started, “but... I think you’re a blessing from All-Mother.”

She had brushed away his admiration and said simply, “Thank you Teb, I have to go now,” 

“I know you do, and my thoughts go with you.” He replied evenly.

Then she had charged off.

He told himself that, of course, her time was precious, that the threat to the Sacred Lands was pressed tight against everyone’s spirit. He knew it was selfish of him, to want to share more time with her, and yet he drew the thread of hope closer and knotted it to his heart.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

When next he saw Aloy, days later, she was talking to Varl at the village gates. When the young Brave looked knowingly into her eyes and she returned his look with a soft smile, it made Teb’s stomach drop. Teb couldn’t hear what the two were saying, but they seemed to have plenty of to talk about. He had to admit, they were well matched

Teb felt like a fool. What was he thinking? He could never compare to a sturdy Brave like Varl. The idea that such an amazing warrior - no, more than that, clearly Aloy was a strong leader - could care for him, was embarrassing. 

He looked up at the sacred mountain, took a deep breath, and reminded himself that he was good at what he did. He had value to the tribe and to All-Mother. Of course, he could never pass himself off as a strapping boar like Varl, but even quiet rabbits had roles to play in the Sacred Lands. If Aloy preferred boars to rabbits, that was her choice.

He turned to go, when he heard her gentle voice call “Teb!” 

Aloy jogged over to his side and declared, “I have something for you - four boars, two foxes, and a lovely rabbit.” She pulled an arm-full of animal pelts from her back. “Stitchers are lucky that the animals with the most skin are the slowest and easiest to hit. The next time I’m here, I’ll bring you more.” She shouldered her pack, ready for travel.

“You’re leaving right away?” He asked, and he was proud of how well he kept the disappointment out of his voice. He decided to just spit it out. “You know you are always welcome under my roof.”

She smiled and said “Thanks, but I’ve got to get to the Carja Fort. I should be able to get there before nightfall and if not, I’ll just rest at a campfire along the road.”

He knew this could be his last chance to lay out the truth in his heart.

If she could be brave, so could he. Teb took a deep breath and explained, “Before you go, you should known that, according to Nora law, when a woman sleeps under a man’s roof, he agrees to be father to any of her future children.”

Aloy stood still, drinking in the implications. Unapologetically she said, “I didn’t know that. When I asked for you to share your home, the night before the Proving, I asked as a friend.”

He felt the word ‘friend’ hit his gut, as if she’d just stabbed him with her spear. He forced his voice to be calm, “Of course. You were raised as an outcast and couldn’t have known. And I want you to know that my offer still stands. You will always be welcome under my roof, on whatever terms you want.”

She gave him a soft smile and answered, “Thank you Teb, but I can’t stay. May All-Mother protect.” And then she was off. 

Wistfully, he understood that Aloy was bound for greater things than to be the mother of his children. Her quest to do battle in the foreign lands him ripped at his spirit, but it was her calling.  
Yet a knot of hope stayed tight in his chest as he watched the blue glow of her strider fade away.


End file.
